While browsing our wonderful Curbside Classic Cohort gallery, I came across this array of pictures from Curbsider Canadiancatgreen. These were taken in a Canadian junkyard. It must be a part of the Great White North that doesn’t get a lot of the great white, because you know you’re in a rust-free climate when you see a Dodge Aspen without rust! Let’s take a stroll through the junk yard, shall we?
As for that Aspen, its dark green paint is surprisingly lustrous after all this time. The car seems intact, but for the gaping chasm where the engine once sat. I wonder what was in that engine bay originally, a Slant Six? A 318 V8? One wonders what it is powering now.
Speaking of remarkably rust-free cars, it seems almost cruel that this Honda Civic has been junked. There appears to be little if any rust, something that can’t be said for too many Japanese cars of the era.
In considerably worse condition is this Civic that was picked apart until it became a mere shell from the B-pillar back.
Nissan had a very consistent design language in the 1980s, as evidenced by this Micra. Although never sold in the US, the Micra was introduced in Canada in 1985 as Nissan’s smallest offering. Imported from Japan, the Canadian-market Micra was axed for 1991 in favor of a Mexican-built version of the recently discontinued B12 Sentra, the Sentra Classic. The Micra wouldn’t reappear in Canada until the current-generation model was launched in 2014.
Another model sold in Canada but not south of the border was the Passport Optima. These were a simple rebadge of the Korean-built Pontiac LeMans, and were the only vehicles to bear the Passport name. Basically, Passport was set up as a GM dealership network offering “international” models, and these Optimas were sold alongside Isuzu and Saab models. The Passport experiment lasted only from 1988-91, as Saab and Isuzus were then sold alongside the new Saturn division at dealerships. However, Canada then received the LeMans as the Asüna SE and GT. These were sold alongside the Asüna Sunfire (Isuzu Impulse) and Asüna Sunrunner (Suzuki Sidekick) at Canadian Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealerships, as those dealers had been clamoring for a line of cars similar to the GEO models sold at Chevrolet-Oldsmobile-Cadillac dealers. This experiment was even more short-lived: Asüna was dropped after just a year.
This gentleman Jaguar looks like it is tipping its hat to the photographer. These were refined and elegant, although their unreliable electrics were rather unbecoming of such a sophisticate.
Decidedly less refined is this brash, modified, first-generation Civic. Well, at least I think it’s a Civic underneath that custom bodywork. Are those Pontiac taillights?
Some automakers were able to respond to bumper regulations in the 1970s with nicely integrated bumpers. Other automakers like Ford and BMW really struggled, adding giant, tacked-on bumpers that looked ghastly. It appears Toyota wasn’t much better, as this black plastic park bench on the back of a Cressida wagon indicates. Well, at least there’s plenty of room to sit if you’re having a tailgate party.
Speaking of tacked on, what was Mercury thinking with the ’71 Montego? I want to like this ornate, sculpted front fascia as I do, say, the ’71 Oldsmobile 98’s front end. Unfortunately, it’s just too awkward and another bizarre affectation from the era of Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen at Ford. I don’t know what is more jarring: this, or the ’70-71 Thunderbird. At least the Big Bird had a longer, swoopier body to balance out its proboscis, while this just looks like a generic early-1970s domestic sedan with a bad nose job.
Speaking of Thunderbirds, our intrepid photographer managed to snap a shot of this gorgeous Lincoln Mark IV. These were closely related to the Thunderbird, but were around 50% more expensive. Long, low, large and lovely, these Mark IVs are, in my opinion, much more attractive than the rival Cadillac Eldorado of the era. Based on the bumpers, this would appear to be a 1974-76 model. This doesn’t look like one of the various designer editions of the time, but it looks mean in its black-on-black color scheme. I sincerely hope this big Linc isn’t getting junked. It may represent a lot of scrap metal (and I mean a lot, these were huge!) but it looks to be in quite good condition.
The only cars that the Mark IV doesn’t appear to dwarf are the Fuselage Chryslers of the early 1970s. This is a 1971 New Yorker, replete with slab sides and a trunklid and a hood you could land small aircraft on. That rear overhang is just so unusually, disproportionately big, it makes me wonder how many corpses a mobster might have stuffed in the trunk. Yikes.
That was quite an impressive mix of cars, but canadiancatgreen snapped even more (including some real rarities!). Stay tuned for Part II.
> the Canadian-market Micra was axed for 1991 in favor of a Mexican-built version of the recently discontinued B12 Sentra, the Sentra Classic.
I’d be up for a closer look at the Canadian-market phenomenon of importing previous-generation versions of a car as low-budget new cars. Nissan did it, Volkswagen does it alot with old Golfs and Jettas, etc. Who else? This is a rare occurance in the U.S.
My father bought a 1984 Micra as a winter commuter vehicle in Toronto when our previous 1975 Civic died. While the Micra had the most plastic interior I’ve ever seen (complete with rubber floor mats), absolutely nothing went wrong with it for the first five years. I was a bit pissed off when I inherited it and found that it needed several hundred dollars worth of fixes (I was a student at the time), but it was still a respectable record overall for the period.
You are forgetting the Chevy Malibu Classic models. The Malibu introduced in 1998 was continued in production for sales to fleets even after the “normal” retail customers were offered the “brand new” 2004 or 2005 Malibu. Chevy repeated that when the Malibu was heavily re-designed in 2008. The “old” Saturn Vue that was introduced in 2008 is for sale at Chevy dealers as the Captiva. You can not buy a brand new, zero miles, Captiva. Ford has done this with the F-150 a few times, too. The Fords were advertised as F-150 Heritage.
I’ve seen Captivas and my reaction is always “What the hell is that?”
That New Yorker actually looks salvageable. Needs work, obviously, but still decent shape; a good restoration and we’d have the perfect cruiser.
it was sold by the salvage yard not sure what happened to it but it never actually made it into the yard where you pick parts off it was in the sale section often if not sold they end up in the yard
Amazing how good condition some of the old iron is. That Mark IV looks so unCanadian in all it’s showoff splendor. Must be from Toronto. My daughter goes to college in Halifax and says all the spoiled rich brats were from there. We visited her last week and saw an almost showroom condition Mercury Monarch parked curbside, so it is possible if not easy to keep them up in the cold. I think we have seen that Civic with the spoilers before.
Thanks for the photos, junkyards are fun.
A nice Mercury Monarch from Canada was featured here a year or so ago, I wonder if it’s the same car. Here’s the link:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/cohort-sighting-1977-mercury-monarch-outlasting-its-namesake/
Not the same one. The one I saw was a light blue grey later model, different headlights. So there are at least two still about up north.
these were taken in Vancouver area
I’m going to guess that this yard is in BC. I also hope that Lincoln isn’t going to the scrapper. It looks pretty decent. The New Yorker looks decent too, and appears to be in the section with cars that they’re reselling complete. I don’t see any price in the windshield though; looks like the “$1499” is in the windshield of the car in the background. Sadly, someone might snap it up just for the drivetrain. Being a NYer, it will have a 440 and 727 Torqueflite for sure.
The yard is in Surrey, BC a suburb of Vancouver. Skytrain bridge in photo of Chrysler New Yorker
Oh yes.Say hello to the Surrey Boys !. A trouble part of the city…
Yes it looks like they resell some of the less clapped out cars, junkyards/wreckers seem to be the last resting place of unwanted tradeins usually worth more as metal and parts and theres another fresh used Jap import just along the street to replace it rinse and repeat.
^ +1.
How many of us have the free time, inclination, and most-importantly, the storage space for that vintage American iron?
A few years ago, my dad offered me his 1977 Lincoln Town Car that was in pristine condition (he bought it from the original owner with 40K miles on it). But I live in (supposed-to-be) rainy Seattle. I measured the depth of my 2-car garage: 20 feet. Length of the Lincoln: 20 feet. So no dice, as I was not going to keep such a nice car parked outside in our climate (moss on the outside, mold on the inside) as it requires such a lot of work just to maintain, and I’ve already got too many daily-drivers parked outside that only get washed once or twice a year.
It is a real shame, though, to see some of those 1970s cream puff (but not ‘desirable’) cars sitting out in the junkyard – I see the same thing here south of our northern border. Owner’s manual still in the glovebox, obviously garaged and with a stack of maintenance receipts to boot. But once it gets put out into the main yard, it’s already too late.
Guess there really is no market for an old gas hog boat. Even less in Canda with dear gas prices.Pull the big block out and put it in a muscle car. Thats were the money is . Is Eastern Canada still crazy for them?
The Trailer Park Boys love them, especially those huge old Chryslers!
Hopefully the Mark IV and the NYer will be saved. They’re still on their wheels, so it’s not over yet. And it’s a real shame about that red Civic–looks straight and complete. You’re starting to be able to get decent money for those cars–a friend just did a very mild restoration on a 2nd-gen Civic and sold it on; it made bringatrailer.com and sold for around $5k IIRC. Much more than he had in it. That one looks way too nice to be scrapped! The Aspen looks like it was a nice car not too long ago…I wonder what people are thinking sometimes.
the Lincoln I am not sure about the New Yorker on the other hand escaped the junkyard ok well it was sold by the yard not sure if it was restored or what but I would hope they restored it
I believe the Montego for 70 and 71 were THE ugliest Mercurys ever produced, certainly in this 4 door sedan guise.
As sad as it is to see a formerly “interesting” car sitting at the curb dented and bashed from multiple “fender benders”, to see one in a junkyard with a few key parts missing is a real shame.
Green was once such a popular color, I hope it makes a comeback soon, and not that hideous “pond scum” shade we are currently getting.
I guess I’m strange because I really like those Mercurys. Would love to have a cyclone spoiler.
+1 on a Spoiler,I only ever saw one once,a very rusty lime green with orange drivers door in Vancouver in 1979. Were these cars rust prone as I hardly ever see early 70s Fords or Mercurys?
The 70’s were dark days for Ford stylists…sure there were a few knockouts, but Knudsen really set them back with The Beak years…
I read a lot of racing teams stuck with the 70 Torinos and Cyclones as the 71 beak was less aerodynamic. While I’m not a fan of the beak it seems to look better on a 2 door fastback and just doesn’t work on a 4 door sedan or wagon.
The Aspen is really well optioned, the paint looks like extra cost color, and it has moldings all over and signal indicators, and usually by the time those came with the car, it has cruise control, AM-FM radio maybe with extra speakers, AC and maybe defog.
That Aspen is one of the rarer Special Edition models, the equivalent to the ever-so-loved “Brougham”. It looks so good, and heavily optioned too – too bad it cannot be salvaged and rebuilt. I wonder how many of these still exist?
I think that’s the best looking Dodge Aspren I’ve ever seen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Aspen or Volare that shines like that.
The percentage of SE among F-Body nowadays could be higher than in the ’70s as quite many of them are kept very good compared to regular ones ( and craftmanship is significantly better too ) and I see them quite few times on ebay. But I don’t see Volare Premier that often though.
They still have SE trim in Dodge nowadays but interestingly it means base.
Regarding the ’71 Montegos, Bunkie Knudsen came from GM and “ordered” Pontiac like styling cues on Ford.
Mercury was aimed at Pontiac in the 60’s, with the Cyclone going after GTO. But, as soon as the muscle car era ended, Mercury went after Buick-Olds.
[I think]
Is this a case of low humidity, dry weather, and low sun? Because I’m astounded at how nice those all are. It’s like the owners all kept them indoors their whole lives.
I can’t wait for more.
Vancouver has a good summer with lots of rain in full and winter. I t does not get cold enough to salt the roads.Take a trip out to near by Vancouver Irland and you still will see British classics that rotted away decades ago in the UK!.
Some really nice vehicles there. I would have guessed B.C. as the location too, as you wouldn’t find such nice old metal in any wrecking yard in southern Ontario.
That Lincoln Mark IV is particularly nice, looks like it could be driven away with minimal work.
You won’t find old cars to pick parts from in yards here in Southern Ontario–when the price of scrap metal was sky high any car that sat for very long was crushed and sent on its way. When I read about WW2 scrap drives I can’t believe how many pre-war cars survived for us to enjoy today.
yes that’s correct the Vancouver area to be exact
I have never seen a 71 New Yorker before. I hear 71-73 were banned from many demo derbys because they were unstoppable. Now I see why. That huge rear overhang for bashing into other cars, and of course that 440 up front that could run long after the radiator is smashed.
Really enjoyed seeing these pics – especially the Mark IV and NY. Those two remind me of a time when I stumbled across what appeared to be a pristine ’76 Eldorado that was waaaaaay too nice to be in a junkyard. The infamous crack prone vinyl interior trim was still cherry on the door panels and arm rests; leather seats looked brand new, no fading on the bright red carpet. Even the black paint was deep and lustrous. But, it was sitting on blocks and the wheels were already removed. Only thing I can think of is, maybe the engine blew and no one wanted to bother rebuilding it. Didn’t make sense and seemed like a waste of a good car, even if it needed mechanical attention. Hopefully that New Yorker gets rescued before they send it out back to the main yard : (
Can some one tell me if this is true, Canada will only allow imports to be sold that have some parts made in Canada.
Thats not true at all–lots of import vehicles are sold here that havn’t got any parts made in Canada
Nice cars all .
Thanx for the pix , looking forward to the next bunch .
Why not an entire posting of the ‘ For Sale ‘ section ? .
What ever happened to Murlee? .
-Nate
I WANT WANT WANT that fuselage Mopar ;'( .
The real gold mines of old cars are the wheat ranches(they don’t call them farms)of Alberta & Saskatchewan. The first time I visited my sister & BIL was around 1999. Every ranch I visited has a boneyard. Here is where old farm equipment, worn out appliances & about every car & truck they have owned for the last 60 years. A few of them have more, like my BIL’s friend. He must have had at least 40 to 50 of them from the late 30’s to early 70’s, mostly older ones. In some ways it looked almost like the used car lot in the late 50’s my dad’s friend owned, minus the later cars. Cars take a long time to rust in middle western Canada. Almost all of the ones I saw had little to no rust. If I could have bought the best of all these cars and got them back home, I could of made a fortune.
In recent years here in Alberta counties and municipal districts have been pressuring rural wrecking yards or hoarders to clean up or face penalties. They also push environmental concerns. As a result many restorable cars have been crushed. Finding anything decent from the fifties or sixties is a little more challenging now. For many of us It’s much easier to find a decent seventies or eighties vehicle to restore or maintain as a survivor. Been there, done that and I’ve also come across some real interesting I one-owner cars.
so cool my pictures were featured like this thank you. yes this taken around the Vancouver area Surrey, Richmond and Abbotsford to be exact the New Yorker was saved or at least sold hopefully to be restored
I’m glad to read your description about the Passport Optima/Pontiac LeMans / Asuna SE, along with the Asuna brand history. It’s a shame that we Canadians don’t have a Canada-only brand anymore, I think. It would be interesting if we did.
That New Yorker is fantastic; thank goodness it was saved.
I just love the early 70s for domestics; sort of the darker, gritty, more brooding and less colourful ‘Empire Strikes Back’ to the bubbling, cheerful and optimistic ‘Star Wars’ as represented by the mid-late 60s. So French Connection…
I also note there was an Aspen in that exact colour scheme that looked very solid on CL for sale for ages here in BC just a year or two ago. I wonder if this is the same car.
“That New Yorker is fantastic; thank goodness it was saved.”
Yes, and hopefully not for nefarious reasons.
“I took the car to the scrap yard like you said Boss”
“Thanks Mugsy,I’ll send Jimmy round to pick you up, by the time anyone notices Tommy the rat’s missing he’ll be in a cube”
If only the local gangster/drug dealers drove these; at least they would have a bit of style as they go about their evil. Instead, it’s always massively lifted dually rear monster pickups or equally douchy and obnoxious brand new sporting cars.
A clapped out Fiesta or Corsa is the usual dealer’s vehicle where I am. Gangster’s both real and wannabe prefer German cars here.
What a surrealistic combination: a Passport Optima with DOT-spec all red tail lamps oval-labeled as “Dutch” (NL)… 🙂 If I could have that P-like Passport rear badge into my Le_Mans spare parts collection… Wondering if this salvage still has the front end bumber, grille/P-badge, head lamps and corner lights?
CC effect: I saw an identical Lincoln (except for the wheels) driving down the road today.
Drum front brakes on a 71 Mercury? I’m amazed front discs were not standard by that time.
Not that uncommon on the low-spec cars. I saw this a lot back when I was in the junkyard almost every weekend in the 1980s. Non-powered front discs were also common into the mid-1970s (brother’s 1975 Pacer and wife’s 1975 Nova both thusly equipped).
If you want to really blow your mind, see brakes on a 1976 Courier (Mazda) pickup. Manual adjustment on each shoe. Eight adjustments per vehicle, every few thousand miles. More primitive than the stock brakes that my 1941 Chevrolet had!
My evil ex wife had a mid 70s Nova with manual front discs too…weird pedal feel for sure. Last car I had with front drums was a late 60s VW Beetle.
“More primitive than the stock brakes that my 1941 Chevrolet had!”
Dead wrong there ~ your ’41 Chevy had ‘ HUCK ‘ (rhymes with SUCK) brakes that were pinned at the ends of each shoe , the Mazda & Courrier’s had dual leading shoe brakes , extremely efficient .
Chevy adopted Huck brakes in 1937 and used them through the 1950 model year , they killed many people and tried hard to kill me as they were on light duty TRUCKS too and were lousy at stopping from over 45 MPH or when loaded .
-Nate
I thought Studebaker was the first to have self energizing drums in 1953 and everyone else had them in 1954.
No , Chevy went to Bendix brakes in the 1951 model year , my ’69 Chevy C/10 still has them and they stop on a dime , even loaded .
VW’s had then (tiny narrow ones) in the Beetles in 1951 too , the first year of hydraulic brakes in DeLuxe Beetles .’
-Nate